


HBFS II: What Came Before.

by chadmaako



Series: The L'Cie Project [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIII Series
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2017-08-13
Packaged: 2018-05-27 15:10:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6289438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadmaako/pseuds/chadmaako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Those who forget history, are doomed to repeat it. That's what they say. I say those who remember their history are doomed to face it. Gran Pulse put me and my sister through hell. They sent their best. We sent 'em back. What was left of 'em anyway. But I can't help but remember all that brought us to this point. The struggle to become what we are, now."<br/>-Oerba Yun Fang; Ex-L'Cie</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

            Fang Yun Oerba felt like her back was on fire. The muscles about her spinal column consistently threatened to cramp. She could find no comfort as she tossed and turned. She shifted flat onto her back and nearly screamed. The still fresh incision was unbearable. It was just the latest in what must have been a dozen procedures that ended with her in pain. But, she didn’t cry. She wouldn’t give anyone the satisfaction. Her heart, however, did break for the soft weeping she   heard from the far side of the room.

            She and her sister, Vanille had spent the past five years, since Fang was eight and Vanille was nearly five, undergoing one horrendous procedure after another. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to it. To the pair of them, it was nothing save torture. To hear the girls cry and scream was the only discernable purpose as far as they could tell.

            Fang had asked why, once. She was never given an answer. Only cold stares met her. In that moment, she knew that nothing would be explained. Ever.

            Vanille, for her part, seemed to be in just as much agony as she was. The girl didn’t have anywhere near Fang’s pain threshold. Over the course of the past five years, Fang’s tolerances for pain had skyrocketed. So while she would simply lay there, grinding her teeth and doing her best to bear it, Vanille would mewl quietly. She would thrash about in her sleep night after night. “Make it stop.” The girl would say over and over again. It had become a mantra to her. It always proved unfruitful, however, because the hell she was going through would never stop.

            It was a test and both of the girls knew it. To see what they could endure, what they could _take_. If they died, well, that was alright. There were plenty of children in the program for them to work with. Two kids from Melbourne weren’t really all that special in the grand scheme, now were they?

            Fang pushed her blanket aside and moved to the edge of the bed. She dropped to her feet and walked over to Vanille. She climbed up onto the bed and lay by her sister, holding her close. “’Nille, wake up. You were having another nightmare.” She said, wrapping her arms about her little sister.

            “I always have nightmares,” Vanille said. “Every time I close my eyes and try to sleep.” The younger girl never told Fang what she dreamed about. And Fang, sadly, didn’t have the courage to ask. “Shhh. You’ll be okay.” She said, softly, stroking the weeping redhead’s hair. “It’ll get better, I promise.” It was empty and they both knew it.

            “No, it won’t,” Vanille said, her voice tight. “It never gets better. Every day they do this.” She sniffed and wiped away her tears. She turned and looked into Fang’s eyes. “Why? Why do they do this to us?”

            “I don’t know,” Fang said, shaking her head. “I wish I did, ‘Nille. I really wish I knew.”

            “I miss mum and dad,” Vanille said, softly. “They wouldn’t let them hurt us like this.”

            “No, they wouldn’t.” Fang agreed. “But mom and dad are gone. They abandoned us years ago.”

            “I don’t think they abandoned us. They wouldn’t do that. I think something happened to them.” Vanille returned. “You think so, too don’t you?”

            Fang shifted as her body began to cramp up. “I don’t know.” She said, finally.

            “Go back to bed, Fang,” Vanille said, resting her hand on the elder girl’s cheek. “It hurts you to hold me like this.”

            “I’m fine,” Fang said, doing her best to keep the pain from her voice.

            Vanille expected the response from her sister. It was the same thing Fang said every night as she held her. For some reason, the nightmares weren’t so bad when Fang was beside her. She closed her eyes, knowing that her sister would hold her until the doctors came back in and pulled them apart. It was a small reprieve, but it was welcome in a place where any respite was hard to come by.

            Fang wasn’t sure when she fell asleep, but she was awakened by a pair of strong hands pulling her from her sister’s hospital bed. “No, let me sleep.” She tried to struggle, but there was no point. Every morning she desperately wanted just to be left alone. And every morning she was torn away from the redhead. Vanille was still out. She’d been given an IV. Fang knew that meant the girl was more likely as not under extremely powerful sedatives and wouldn’t awaken for anything.

            The orderly that hauled her away from the younger Australian said nothing. His powerful arms simply gripped her arms tight enough to bruise her. Fang had long since stopped feeling the pain of his embrace. She kicked and fought to get away from him, but it did little good. The man was much, _much_ larger and a great deal stronger than she was. He took her back to her own bed and lay her down, skillfully subduing her with the straps that were permanently attached to the railings.

            Fang stopped fighting and lay there, staring at the ceiling. She resigned herself, as she did every morning after she tried to get free. Today, she thought she’d try something new. She turned to look at the huge man. His bright, orange hair caught the sunlight as he worked. His ruddy, tanned face was impassive. For the first time, she noticed _Gadot_ written on his name tag. “Gadot, is it?” She asked him. He flicked his eyes to her quickly before going back to his work. “Why do you do this to us? Why do you hurt us? What did we ever do to you?”

            “It’s all about a paycheck, kid.” He returned. His voice was deep and husky. His tone contained no emotion whatsoever. “I don’t give a shit about you or your sister one way or another.”

            “So the sight of children in pain doesn’t bother you?” Fang asked him.

            “Do this job long enough, nothing bothers you.” He said, making certain the straps were secure. “But I can tell you this. You just laid back and let them do what they needed to, your life wouldn’t be half as hard as it is.” With that, he turned and left the room.

            Fang tested the restraints and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were solid and wouldn’t budge. She lay back and did her best not to vomit as the still fresh incision on her back screamed.

            Motion on Vanille’s side of the room caught her eye. A pair of men arrived to wheel Vanille out of the room. “Where are you taking her?” She asked in a panic. They, of course, didn’t answer her. She screamed and swore at them, but it did no good. Soon, she was left alone in the dark room. “Vanille.” She said, tears in her eyes.

            “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” A cheerful woman’s voice called to her. Fang turned to see a beautiful brunette woman with bright eyes lean over to look down at her. “In fact, when we’re done with her, she’ll be better than fine.”

            “Or be dead from lack of sleep.” Fang returned, bitterly.

            The woman, _Lebreau_ from the name on her lapel simply shrugged. “If she isn’t strong enough for the procedures we’ve been subjecting her to, well…we have more children.” She responded. She reached down and took hold of Fang’s index finger. “You, however, are more than strong enough.” With a quick pull, Fang’s finger was yanked back, causing it to snap painfully out of socket. Fang jerked, but otherwise continued to stare at the woman. “Not a peep,” Lebreau said, smiling. Carefully, she popped Fang’s finger back into place. “Did that hurt you at all?”

            “What do you care?” Fang shot back, her voice tight.

            “In the interest of our research.” The woman offered. “All that we’ve done to you, all that we intend to do, believe it or not, does serve a purpose.”

            “What purpose?” Fang asked her. “Laughing at the fact that you can hurt children?”

            Lebreau gave her a sweet smile and reached down, pushing her dark hair from her eyes. “Well, I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t derive some grim amusement from the pain I inflict. But that isn’t the whole of it, no.” She sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the heart monitor. She eased her hand behind Fang’s shoulders and lifted her slightly from the bed. “You’re probably too young to understand what we’re doing here.” She slid her fingers down Fang’s back until she felt the sutures that held the massive gash closed. She roughly pressed her fingers into the injury, taking note of the heart monitor. Fang gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, but again made nary a sound. The girl’s heart rate barely rose. “Amazing,” Lebreau said, removing her hand. She lay Fang gently back down. “Now, I’m going to ask you again. Did that hurt?”

            “I don’t know,” Fang said, staring at the woman. “How about you let me cut you open jam my fingers into the wound. Then you can tell me.”

            Lebreau chuckled. “You would, too wouldn’t you? If the circumstances were right, you’d take a scalpel and open me from navel to neck, wouldn’t you?”

            “Pray you never have to find out,” Fang said.

            “I was hoping you’d say that.” Lebreau returned, sweetly. “You’re my favorite, you know.” She pulled a syringe out of her pocket, filled with a thick silvery liquid and took the cap off of it. “Of all of the children in the program, you’ve shown the most progress.”

            “What is that?” Fang asked indicating the vial.

            “A rather potent cocktail of adrenal stimulants, neural stimulants and nanites.” Lebreau offered.

            Fang didn’t really know what any of those things were. She just knew that they sounded horribly unpleasant. “And…what will it do to me?”

            “Well, if it doesn’t kill you…” She looked down at the frightened girl. “Which given how well you’ve taken to the procedures and treatments thus far, I don’t see that being a concern,” She began injecting the concoction into the IV. “It’ll increase your adrenaline output by a factor of five, cause your synapse to fire rapidly, increasing your pain response and nanites will find and repair any damage the increase in adrenaline output may cause.” She removed the syringe after it was empty. “It’ll hurt like nothing we’ve subjected you to before, but according to my calculations, in the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours, if you’re not dead…” She shrugged. “I’ll be interested in knowing what will happen.” She then turned to exit the room, leaving Fang on the bed terrified.

            Lebreau was near to the elevator when a blood-curdling shriek of agony erupted from the brunette girl’s room.

            Fang thrashed about on the bed as much as the restraints would allow her. She tried everything, _anything_ she could to relieve the excruciating mind-numbing anguish that permeated every fiber of her being. Her body was wire tight. Her every muscle was on fire. So tense was she that she felt bones in her right forearm crack and break under the tension. The pain of it, while incredible, was lost in the din. Fang knew nothing for hour after hour but torment.

            She’d heard tell that sometimes pain could be so profound and all-encompassing that the mind would simply shut down and render someone unconscious. She prayed for such to happen to her, but it never did. She was kept conscious and kept in pain. She felt every hour, every minute, every _second_ of the day. She had no true concept of time until finally, blissfully, the pain began to subside.

            Fang’s body was covered with sweat. Her bedding and hospital gown were soiled and smelled wretched. She was left shivering and convulsing. She was so exhausted and so weak. She was far too tired to notice that she’d torn the restraints free of their moorings on her bed.

            She was able to feebly turn her head as she saw Vanille being wheeled back into the room. She was incredibly still with bandages about her head. “What…what did you do to her?” She asked, her voice slurred. Of course, no one answered her. She didn’t really expect them to.

            A short while later, Lebreau came back into the room. She stopped by Vanille’s bed and checked the girl over. She was, at the very least, ginger about it. Fang did thank god for small favors. “Seems the procedure took.” She said, grinning. “Her vitals are all within acceptable tolerances.” The woman looked at Fang. “And how are you feeling?” She crinkled her nose. “Oh, my. Seems you had a bit of an accident. Well, we’ll get you cleaned up.”

            Fang glared at her. “What did you do to Vanille?”

            “Don’t you worry about that,” Lebreau said. She raised an eyebrow as she moved closer. “Good god.” She said, under her breath, noticing that all of the straps had been ripped free. She pulled a syringe from her pocket and quickly injected it into Fang’s IV. “Let’s let you get some rest, dear.”

            “Just want you to know…” The brunette said before nodding off. “I’m gonna kill you one day.”

            Lebreau gave her a smile. “Sure you will.” She said, dismissively. “Now go to sleep.”

 

            Sazh Katzroy pushed the mop along the floor, keeping a careful watch on the corridor. Five years ago, he’d made a promise to a friend. It was the man’s dying wish that Sazh save his daughters from a fate worse than death. It bothered him to that it had taken so long to put his plan into motion, but here he was. He was finally in the position he needed to do what he swore to do.

            The hallway outside the girls’ room was deserted, save for the black clad soldier that stood at attention. He sighed and nodded. He knew the time was now or never. He continued mopping, occasionally dipping the mop in the water. Given that he was a Janitor, he was part of the background. He was furniture. “How’s it goin’?” He asked the man. The soldier gave him a simple nod. “Mind if I go in and empty the trash?” Sazh asked, pointing to the room.

            “Make it quick and be quiet.”

            “You got it.” Sazh returned. As the man turned to open the door, the dark skinned man pulled a stun gun from his pocket and quickly touched it to the back of the man’s neck, just below the base of his skull. The massive amount of voltage ripped up and down the soldier’s spine, rendering him unconscious. “Nighty night, big guy.” He lowered the guard to the floor. He reached into the bottom of his cart and pulled the black garbage bag out and dragged the guard into the room. He dropped the man to the floor and closed the door. He rapidly searched the soldier and took his weapon, his body armor, and his radio.

            Sazh then moved to the first bed. Vanille lay still, deep in a sedative-induced sleep. Sazh took a small memory card from his pocket and plugged it into the slot on the side of the heart monitor. He then tapped a pair of buttons and waited. “Come on, come on.” He said, impatiently. The machine blinked a moment then began reading off of the card. He smiled and nodded. “Yes!” He removed Vanille’s IV and pulled the monitor cords from her chest. He then took a syringe out and gave the girl the injection into her arm. “Come on, sweetie.” He said as he emptied the small vial.

            In a matter of moments, the girl began coming out her slumber. Her small green eyes were suddenly wide with fear. Sazh put his finger to his lips. “Shh. My name is Sazh Katzroy. I’m a friend of your father’s.”

            “You know where my mum and dad are?”  Vanille asked, happily.

            Sazh knew immediately that the girl didn’t know that her parents were both dead. He didn’t have the heart or time to tell her and deal with the emotional fallout of it. “Yeah. I’ll take you to see ‘em. But first, we gotta get outta here.” He threw the blanket back. “Can you walk, honey?”

            Vanille nodded. “For escape, I can do anything.”

            “Good deal.” He saw her grimace and grip her head, hissing in pain. He helped her sit up and move to the edge of the bed. He reached into the trash bag and pulled out a pair of pants, a small shirt, a pair of shoes and socks. “Here. Put these on and I’m gonna wake up your sister, okay?” She took the clothes and began getting dressed.

            Sazh moved over and, like with Vanille, plugged a memory card into the side of the heart monitor and waited for it to take over. He again removed the pads and pulled Fang’s IV out. As soon as it was free, the girl’s hand shot out and closed around his forearm and began squeezing …like a _vise_. “Ah, damn girl.” He said, trying to pry her fingers free. Her green eyes bore into him. He could feel his bones creak. “I’m a friend of your fathers. I’m here to get you outta here.” He said quickly.

            “Fang, let him go,” Vanille whispered loudly from the other side of the room.

            Fang released him immediately. “You know my father?” She asked him. As Sazh nodded, she looked saddened. “Are they alright?”

            “I’ll take you to see ‘em.” He said to her. “But we gotta get outta here first.” He pulled some clothing out for her. “Get dressed. We don’t have a lot of time.”

            Fang was quickly clothed and on her feet. She hugged Vanille and looked up at Sazh. “How are we going to get out of here?”

            “Follow me.” He said, moving to the door. “I’ve been working as a Janitor for the past five years. Ever since your dad told me about you. I promised your folks I’d get you out.”

            “How are they doing?” Vanille asked.

            “Don’t worry about that right now,” Fang said. She shared a look with Sazh. He could tell that she suspected the truth, if not knew it outright.

            He pulled the door open and stepped out into the hallway.

            “Hey! What are you doing?” Gadot, the orderly shouted. He began running toward them.

            “Oh, shit.” Sazh cursed sharply. He really didn’t wanna fire the M-14 Carbine and risk alerting everyone.

            Vanille squeaked in fear and moved behind Sazh. She was terrified that their escape had been cut incredibly short.

            Fang saw the large orange haired man and her heart rate increased and her fight or flight response surged. She rushed forward and gripped the side of the massive Janitor’s maintenance cart. She hefted it over her head with a grunt and took a step hurling it at the giant man as he raced toward them. He skidded to a stop just before the metal and plastic mass smashed into him. He fell to the ground in a heap, not getting back up.

            “Jesus Christ, kid,” Sazh said, shocked. He quickly came back to himself. “Come on.” He said, heading down the hallway.

            “No,” Vanille said. “This way.” She tugged on his body armor. “I know a way out.”

            “I’ve been working in this building for…” He began.

            She cut him off. “Trust me.” She said, trotting off.

            “Come on,” Fang said, following behind her.

            Sazh bit his lip. He had planned the exit strategy perfectly. He knew how far the exits were and how long they had. The way Vanille was leading them was directly toward the operating theater. That was _not_ where they needed to go. “Are you sure?”

            “I am,” Vanille said. She ran along and down a set of stairs toward the operating room. She pushed the pair of doors open and ran to the far wall. “When they were operating on me last time, I was conscious.” She looked at him. “The anesthesia didn’t work.”

            “Oh, god ‘Nille,” Fang said, sadly.

            The redhead waved a dismissive hand. She pointed to a hatch on the wall. “It’s a garbage chute, I think. I saw the blueprints of the building on one of the maintenance guys tablet as they were bringing me back to the room.”

            “And you remembered that?” Sazh asked as he moved over. He pulled, but the door wouldn’t budge. “It’s not goin’ anywhere.”

            “It’s probably locked,” Fang said as she moved up to it.

            “It sticks really bad,” Vanille said. “That’s what the notes on his screen said.” She shook her head. “Not sure how I remember that.”

            Fang gripped the handle and growled. The metal immediately began twisting and warping with a squeal. With a final tug, the hatch gave way flying across the room. “That’s gonna get some attention,” Sazh said. “In you go, girls.” He said to them.

            “We have to get the rest of the kids out of here,” Vanille said.

            “No, we don’t,” Fang said, grabbing her sister looking into her eyes. “They’re someone else’s problem.” Vanille looked at her sadly and nodded. Fang lifted Vanille onto her back. “Hold onto me.” The petite redhead wrapped her legs around Fang’s waist and her arms about her neck. With that, Fang braced her hands and feet against the walls of the chute and began the long descent to the bottom.

            Sazh kept watch on them and the doors to the room. He followed suit as soon as they were clear. They reached a large basement with incinerators and boilers. Vanille led them through the maze to a small service door. Fang put a hard boot to it and the three of them were out of the facility into the night. “Come on,” Sazh said, pulling them along. Fang was starting to feel the effects of what she could do. Her skin was hot to the touch and she was sweating profusely.

            Sazh put the pair of girls into his old Chevy Van and pulled away from the building, doing his best to not garner any attention. They were a couple of blocks away when they heard the alarm begin the wail. He smiled as he settled back and drove.

            Vanille climbed into the front seat after she got Fang settled in the back. “So when can we go see our parents?”

            Sazh sighed and turned to look at her. “I wanted to wait until we were outta there before I told you this…” He began, sadly.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Fang stood in the facility gym, clad in her bike shorts and a tank top. Her taped hands flexed, causing her knuckles to crack. “I don’t give two shits how fast you are.” She said to the pink haired girl that was squaring off with her. “You can’t hit me hard enough to hurt me.”

For her part, the pinkette nodded. “Not at first. But you can still chop down a redwood with a hatchet.” She lifted her fists up. “And you really, _really_ need to be brought down a peg.”

Fang sighed and got into a fighting stance. “Look, Sunshine. There’s only room for one alpha in his program…and I don’t like to share.”

After Sazh had freed both Fang and her sister Vanille from Gran Pulse’s research facility, he’d nursed the pair back to health. Vanille had been wracked with the most painful migraine headaches either she or Sazh had ever seen. It took thousands of milligrams of painkillers just to allow her to sleep. And when she did, it was amid tears of pain and she would wake screaming.

Fang wasn’t much better, but she handled the pain with quite a bit more stoicism. Her body was littered with slowly fading scars. Her back, however, was the worst. Deep and long lacerations formed a latticework in her flesh. But they too were slowly disappearing. For weeks, out of nowhere, her body would cramp up so bad that she’d tear tendons and break bones. The episodes usually lasted for a few hours, but some lasted days.

No matter how much he wanted to, neither Vanille nor Fang would let him take them to see a doctor. After almost two months of the girls suffering, Sazh finally cracked. He only knew of one place that could help them. Whatever hell Gran Pulse had put them through, only one group would be able to undo it.

Sazh handed both Fang and Vanille over to the L’Cie Project. He spoke with President of Fal’Cie Genetics, Galenth Dysley. Eager to get his hands on a sample of Fal’Cie’s rival company, he did his best to reassure the elder soldier. The man emptily promised Sazh that no harm would come to the girls and that they would receive the best medical attention money could buy.

Fang had to give credit where credit was due. They _were_ receiving wonderful medical care. And what L’Cie was doing to them was far more bearable than what Gran Pulse had subjected them to.

But the results of their previous caretakers’ experimentation, however, yielded some rather startling discoveries. Vanille’s brain, from what they could tell, looked like a road-map of Tokyo, it was so cut apart. At first, the incisions didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason, but upon closer examination, there was a very intricate and delicate pattern emerging.

To investigate their theories, the scientists worked with the girl, testing her. They learned that she could retain one hundred percent of everything she saw, read, heard, smelled and touched. She had complete and total recall. Many were those with photographic memories, but to date, they’d never found such an inclusive case. One of their own was much similar, but where Nora Estheim could retain what she heard and saw, she couldn’t quite reach Vanille’s level.

They quickly determined that they had to limit what the girl had access to. Even a casual glance at information was retained indefinitely. And given the girl’s young age, her brain was still developing. Her mental faculties would only get sharper as time wore on. Beyond that, she seemed to have a fondness for technology. She would be handed small innocuous gadgets to tinker with. Everyone was surprised when she had taken a small radio-controlled car and a cellular phone and rigged it to be voice activated… all in the span of an hour and a half.

Vanille was truly a miracle.

Fang, however, was a different matter altogether…

 

The young girl breathed heavily as she felt her body tighten and relax on its own. Her jaw had locked and she wasn’t able to speak. Pain wracked her young frame. She flicked her eyes to the side and saw one of the doctors readying a syringe. She knew that it was a muscle relaxer and pain killer and was begging, _pleading_ for it to be strong enough to knock her out. It usually was and she always welcomed its administration.

But her fight or flight response didn’t agree. It had a mind of its own. Her near Herculean strength began to surge. Her arm tensed. “Shit! She spasming again!” Another doctor, Zaidelle according to the name badge on her smock, shouted frantically.

Before anyone could react, the restraint on her left arm snapped. Her hand shot out and gripped the first doctor’s arm and thrust him away. He sailed across the room, smashing through the plaster, drywall, and two-by-fours that reinforced it to land in the hallway.

“Hold her down.” She instructed the orderlies.

Two brutish men descended on the girl, doing their level best. “Yeah, right.” One of them offered through clenched teeth.

Fang was willing her body to stop struggling. Everything these people were doing was to help her, not hurt her. But she just couldn’t _stop_.

Doctor Zaidelle quickly prepped another syringe. She injected it into the IV while a pair of massive orderlies did their best to hold Fang’s arm down. The concoction was slow to take effect. All the while, Fang thrashed and fought. More than once, the orderlies, both tipping the scales at two hundred and fifty plus pounds, were being tossed about like ragdolls.

By the time she finally succumbed to the sedatives, one of the orderlies had a broken arm, and the other had suffered several broken ribs.

“Man, you all ain’t payin’ us enough for this shit.” The one the with the broken arm said, gripping his limb to his chest.

“Dude. No joke.” The other added.

The doctor looked them over and thumbed toward the door. “Go and get yourselves checked out. She’ll be out for a few hours.” She looked down at Fang. “I hope.” Every time they sedated her, the drugs seemed to lose potency rather quickly. As it was, what they gave her would knock a full grown man out for a week. She would be out, at most, five to six hours. Her body was metabolizing everything they threw at it quicker and quicker. The woman reached down and brushed the sweat matted hair out of Fang’s eyes. “We’ll fix you, sweetie. I promise.”

She turned to the young blonde woman in the room. “Nora? Get me a blood sample. I need to see something.”

The girl nodded. “Of course.” She said, pulling a syringe out of the drawer.

“No. You’ll need a lumbar needle.” The doctor said.

“What?” Nora asked. “That’ll…”

“She won’t even feel it, trust me. You try drawing blood with that, it’ll only break.” She smiled. “We learned that the hard way. Her skin is like alligator hide. It gets anymore resilient, we’re gonna have to resort to laser drilling.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Nora said, gathering what she needed.

Alyssa Zaidelle, the leading researcher of the L’Cie Program looked into the microscope. “I’m seeing…” She looked at Nora. “Remember all this.” She said. Nora gave her a nod. She went back to the microscope. “I’m seeing nanites, pure adrenaline cells, extremely complex amino acids and rare proteins.” She furrowed her brow. “This girl’s blood is almost toxic with the levels I’m seeing.” She looked to Nora. “How is she still alive?”

"The nanites would be my guess.” Nora offered. “If what we know of adrenaline is true, it should be breaking down her bones and muscle tissue. I’d hazard a guess that the nanites are constantly repairing her body. They’re also constantly improving it. It would explain her epidermal rigidity and her bone and muscle densities.”

Alyssa gave her a nod. “But her fight or flight response is going berserk. I can see it in her eyes when she spasms out. She isn’t doing it. She has no control over what she _can_ do.” She rubbed her face in her hands. “If we don’t find a way to control her, I just know Dysley is going to issue a termination order. It’s been almost a year and she hasn’t improved.”

“She’s an innocent girl,” Nora said. “It isn’t her fault.”

“I know, Nora. God help me, I know.” Alyssa offered. She punched up Vanille’s file on her laptop. “I’ll think about it. We’ll figure something out, I’m sure. Have you checked up on Vanille today?”

Nora giggled. “Yeah. She has a robot.”

“They gave her a toy robot to play with?” Alyssa asked, looking over the file.

“No. They gave her an engine from a hedge trimmer, a few broken radio controlled cars and a model airplane.” Nora said smiling. “She built a robot out of it.”

Alyssa turned to regard her. “You’re kidding.”

“No,” Nora said. “It’s a little freaky looking, but it’s moving around on its own. Right now, she’s cutting apart the stuffed teddy bear and using it to cover the robot to make an animated plushy.”

“I’m not sure if that’s adorable or creepy as hell.” Alyssa turned back to the computer and opened the images of Vanille’s latest CT Scan. She stopped and stared at the surface image. She cocked her head as she looked on. “Huh.”

Nora moved over and peered over her shoulder. “What are you seeing?”

Alyssa pointed to a particular incision. “There. We haven’t been able to determine what _all_ of the incisions in her brain are for, but we’ve figured out a lot of them. And I think this is the answer to helping Fang. If we can make a few carefully placed cuts, we can give her direct control of her fight or flight response.”

“She’d be in complete control?” Nora asked.

“She’d basically be able to turn it on and off at will.” She smiled brightly. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”

Alyssa explained the procedure to Fang. “When we’re done…”

“I won’t be in pain all the damn time?” Fang asked her. “And I’ll stop trying to hurt the people that are helping me?” She had tears in her eyes when she said it.

“If everything goes as we expect, yes.” Alyssa offered. “I promised we’d fix you, sweetie.”

Fang nodded. “Do me a favor, Doc. If it doesn’t work.” She looked Alyssa in the eyes. “Don’t bring me out. I don’t wanna live like this anymore.”

“You won’t Fang.” She brushed the girl’s hair aside. “I promise.”

Fang accepted her answer and closed her eyes. “I’m ready.”  

When she was finally brought back to consciousness, Fang could feel the difference. The sedatives were fading quickly, much quicker than they had before. She wasn’t in pain, which was wonderful in and of itself. But she could also tell that she was in control of her own body again.

“It might take some time before we know if the surgery was a complete success.” Doctor Zaidelle explained. She outlined what the results of Gran Pulse’s experimentation had on Fang’s physiology. Her bones, having been worn down and constantly repaired by the nanites in her system had given her skeletal structure the consistency of iron. Her muscle and skin were near as makes no difference the tensile strength of plate steel.

Fang smiled brightly at the woman. “I’m a right badass, then.” She said, looking at her clenched fist.

“So it would seem,” Alyssa said, returning the grin.

 

Fang quickly learned, however, that the scientists of L’Cie had plans for her. They began testing her limits. Each test was designed to break her, just so she could come back stronger. Strangely enough, even though the endurance, reflex and strength tests were torturous and always left her sore and exhausted, she didn’t mind them. With what Alyssa – who she now rarely ever saw – had told her, every time she hurt herself, her body would heal tougher and harder. The more punishment they dished out, the more she would be able to take.

That was perfectly fine with her. She had scores to settle.

It was during those tests that she met the girl that she was facing off with now. One Claire ‘Call me Lightning’ Farron. She didn’t understand at the time why the girl insisted on being called Lightning…until she was slapped across the face before she had seen the girl shift her body. The strike was barely noticeable to her, but it proved the point. Fang remembered telling her that she hit like a girl.

The pair had never gotten along. Fang thought Lightning was a broody little priss and Lightning, pointed out that Fang was an arrogant bitch that walked around like she owned the place.

Fang couldn’t really fault her. She was pretty damn arrogant. But then, she had every right to be. As far as she could tell, Lightning, aside from being fairly quick, was a normal as they came. She wasn’t special in any real way, yet she felt herself on the same level as Fang.

It had taken the past four years for them to come to this point. Fang was sick of listening to Lightning’s shit and the pink haired girl was tired of Fang’s attitude.

“Say when, Princess,” Fang said, readying herself.

Lightning was nothing but pink-tinted motion. Her fists were very much akin to her namesake. Fang’s face was rocked back and forth a half dozen times before she knew what hit her. The strikes did little real damage, but they were a wake-up call. She moved back from the slighter girl. She loosed a hard right cross that would have shattered stone.

Lightning easily ducked below the attack, gripping Fang’s wrist and driving her palm into the girl’s elbow, looking to break her arm. Fang had enough time to tighten the muscles. Lightning’s hand impacted. It felt like she was smacking concrete. Fang’s arm didn’t move in the slightest. She knew Fang was tough, but she wasn’t expecting that. She froze for a heartbeat in surprise.

And a heartbeat was all Fang needed. She wrapped her hand around Lightning’s wrist and spun, taking the pink haired girl with her. Lightning was lifted from her feet and hurled across the large gym. The world flew past her in a blur. She crashed into the wall with enough force to shatter the plaster and crack the concrete wall behind it.

Fang saw the impact and cursed loudly. “Lightning!” She said, rushing over to the girl’s side. The slighter L’Cie hopeful lay on the ground, struggling to breathe. She tried to sit up, clutching her ribs.

Fang reached for her, but Lightning tried pushing her hands away. “Don’t touch me!” She shouted, weakly.

Fang ignored her protests and lifted the girl from the floor. “Don’t be a bitch, yeah?” She carried her from the gym and toward the infirmary. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have thrown you that hard.”

Lightning didn’t look at the girl. “I can walk on my own.”

“Yeah, you probably could. Or you could let me carry you because I screwed up.”

“Tch.” The smaller girl said, looking away from the brunette. “I would have taken you.”

“Sure,” Fang said as they entered the infirmary. “You keep thinkin’ that.” She lay Lightning down on the bed and turned to leave. “Get rested and healed up and we’ll have a second go, yeah?” She asked as she exited the room.

“Count on it.” Lightning said, relaxing on the bed. She was secretly glad Fang had opted to carry her. Her ribs hurt like hell. She knew that walking would have been torture.

The nurse on duty moved over and began looking over the girl. “What happened to you? You’ve got a half dozen cracked ribs here.”

“Fang and I were sparring. We got a little out of control.” Lightning said, her eyes closed.

“You should be more careful with her. The last girl she sparred with, she threw _through_ the gymnasium wall. Nearly killed her.”

Lightning opened her eyes and stared at the woman. “Really?” The nurse nodded.

Lightning sighed and dropped her head back to the bed. When they were fighting, she was doing everything she could to put Fang down. As it turned out, Fang was pulling her punches. If she wanted to, she could have done the same to her as she did the other girl.

 _Okay. Maybe Fang isn’t such a bitch_ , she thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you no doubt have noticed, the story name and summary have changed a bit. The reasons are simple. I plan to have this story be a bit of a prequel, telling of how Lightning, Fang, Vanille and in later chapters Serah have all become what they are. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing it. Sorry about the delay in updates. Life often gets in the way. 
> 
> Read, comment but most importantly, enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

Lightning entered the massive room and looked around. It was her first time having ever been in here. “Where am I?” She asked, curiously.

“Select a weapon from the table, please.” A cold female voice offered.

She peered all about the room and saw a large two-way mirror along the upper portion of the wall. “What’s going on?”

“Part of your training.” The woman said. “There are things we need to know.”

“Like what?” Lightning asked. She moved over and stood at the table looking over all of the handguns available to her. “I’m only seventeen. I can’t legally use any of these.” She said, absently. She had a feeling it didn’t really matter. Most of what these people were doing with her and the others wasn’t legal, she was fairly certain.

“You let us worry about that. Select a weapon from the table, please.”

She immediately reached for the .50 Desert Eagle. Her hands barely closed around the grip. It was large and felt unwieldy. She set it down and moved on. Her eyes fell next to the box standard Beretta 9 millimeter. She lifted it, ejected the magazine and checked it, before sliding it back in. She held it in both hands, aiming it at the wall. It was a good weapon. She’d heard and read good things.

It just didn’t seem… _right_ for her. She sighed and set it back down. There was a host of others. Sig Sauer, Brownings, Colts, but all of these were just not for her.

Her eyes fell on the last of the options. She took the Glock 17 in her hand. Her palm and fingers molded to the weapon as if they belonged there. She once again ejected the clip and examined it. She was immediately impressed with its seventeen-round capacity, thanks to a staggered feed system. She slid the magazine back in and looked up at the window. “Glock 17 9 millimeter.” She said simply, holding it up for them to see.

“Noted.” The woman said. “There’s a target along the far wall. Remain where you are and fire at it please.”

Lightning turned and could barely see it. The distance was incredible. It seemed little more than a shapeless white outline with little black dots in the center. “I can’t even see it.”

“Focus, Miss Farron.” The woman instructed.

Lightning got into her stance and lifted the weapon in a relaxed grip. She narrowed her eyes, doing her best to bring the target into focus. Suddenly, for reasons that she couldn’t explain, she could see it clear as day. She could make out the detailed rings on the head, chest and stomach of the paper cutout. She nodded and squeezed off all seventeen rounds. She grouped five shots in the head. Each round followed the first, forming a single solitary hole. She put five in the stomach, likewise creating only a single opening. Her final seven went into the chest, each round following the first.

She quickly ejected the magazine and stopped, looking at her hands. She lifted her eyes and looked again at the target along the wall. Like before she could barely make it out.

Two more targets were illuminated, one on either side of the initial outline.

Lightning cocked her head a moment. She then moved to the table and lifted another clip and placed it into the weapon. She then calmly took another Glock, likewise inspecting its magazine. It was almost scary to her how comfortable the guns felt in her hands. She’d never felt such ease with anything in her life.

She again squared off at the targets. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on them. She lifted each pistol and fired them both simultaneously. Her body moved with the recoil, letting it roll through her. The rounds punched through the targets with ease. The results were the same. Her accuracy terrified and excited her.

She lowered the pistols, staring at the three paper cutouts in disbelief. “How is that possible?” She asked, curiously. She looked up at the window. “How am I able to do that?”

“Pinpoint accuracy at fifty meters.” The woman said. “Good work, Miss Farron.”

Lightning was angry. “Answer the damn question.” She tossed the guns down onto the table. “How am I able to do that?”

“That will be all, Miss Farron.” The voice said. The door opened. “Go back to your room, Miss Farron. Someone will be in to speak with you later.”

Lightning looked at the guns on the table and back up to the window. She then sighed, and left the room. Lightning had always been rather dexterous, but she knew that on her best day, she’d never have been capable of what she had just accomplished.

She made her way toward her quarters. She’d asked for permission to contact her sister. Dr. Zaidelle had told her just before she’d been called away to the weapons test, that her request had been granted. That made her happy. It was for Serah’s benefit that Lightning was here. The money she was getting from Fal’Cie for the research she was undergoing was going to pay for Serah’s future. That made Lightning feel good.

She stopped by the candy vending machine and looked over what was available. She really didn’t care for cookies and candy all that much. She was, however, a sucker for black licorice. She saw the last bag in the machine and nodded. She pulled out her wallet and sighed as she saw the last dollar bill sitting alone in her billfold. She withdrew it and slid her wallet back in her pocket. She inserted it into the machine and made her selection. She groaned audibly when the twin screws stopped mid-turn. The candy flopped forward against the glass and wedged firm.

She slammed her fist against the Plexiglas. “Oh, come on!” She shouted angrily. The candy, unfortunately, didn’t budge. Lightning leaned her head against the glass. “God Dammit.”

“Got a problem, Sunshine?” Fang asked as she exited her room. She gave Lightning a smirk after the girl turned to glare at her. “Or did you two wanna be alone?”

“Tch.” Lightning stood, straightened her shirt and walked by with shoulders back and her head held high. She didn’t dignify the girl’s question with a response. She’d long since learned to let what Fang said roll off her back.

Fang watched her walk by with her nose in the air. “Priss.” She said, turning down the hallway. She stopped and looked at the candy machine. She regarded Lightning. She saw the girl sigh and reach for her door. “Hey, Sunshine?” She asked. Lightning turned to look at her. “Were you trying for this licorice?”

Lightning just gave a nod and opened her door.

Fang clenched her fists and turned back to the machine. Her heart began thundering, her eyes narrowed. Her knuckles cracked. Adrenaline immediately surged through her body. She took hold of the sides of the machine and growled, lifting it over her head.

Lightning heard the commotion and watched in awe. The machine itself had to weigh nearly a thousand pounds. Fang had it hoisted above her head. The brunette spun and slammed the monstrosity against the stone wall, warping the metal and causing candy and change to spill all over the floor. She couldn’t help but stare in open amazement.

Fang knelt, dropped a handful of change, lifted a Snickers bar and the bag of black licorice. “Here you are, Sunshine.” She said, tossing the bag to the pink haired girl.

Lightning fielded it easily. She stared down at it and looked back down the hallway to Fang’s gently swaying hips as she walked along, chewing on the candy bar. The mess was catastrophic. She couldn’t help but smile. She entered her room and closed the door softly behind her.

 

“She needs to be disciplined.” Noel Kreiss, Director of Facility Operations said angrily. “That machine cost almost four thousand dollars.”

Galenth Dysley, CEO of Fal’Cie Genetics International sat in his plush New York office several hundred miles away. He stared at the large screen on his office wall. His subordinates in the massive complex in upstate Maine sat about a conference table, debating on whether or not action should be taken in regards to a recent outburst by one of the subjects of their L’Cie program. Namely, one Fang Yun Oerba. Galenth had been following her and her sister’s progress rather intently, ever since being brought to his attention four years ago.

This latest news had him secretly thrilled. The enhancements made to the young girl were extraordinary. The results were far beyond what he and the scientists had expected.

To Director Kreiss he only said “You have a rather generous annual budget, Director. A few thousand dollars is of no real consequence, is it?”

Noel glared at the man. “It sets a dangerous precedent, sir. If she isn’t punished for this, she may feel that she can do as she wishes.”

Nora Estheim, Dr. Zaidelle’s assistant snorted. “She can.” She said, quietly.

Alyssa smirked but said nothing. Noel glared at her. Dysley however, called her to the carpet. “I’m sorry, what was that, Nora?” He asked her.

The girl swallowed. “Well, I was just, you see, Fang can do as she wishes, sir.” She swallowed again. “We gave her that ability.”

“What is your meaning, Nora?” Galenth asked her.

“Well, sir. Fang’s true potential has yet to be reached, as far as we can tell. The limits she had yesterday won’t necessarily be her limit tomorrow. Her strength and endurance are growing at a faster pace than we can track.”

Dysley turned to Alyssa. “Is this true?”

“It is, sir. During her testing yesterday, she managed to overturn a Humvee.” She shook her head. “It wasn’t something she could do a week ago. And one of the men she was sparring with broke an asp over her forearm. She didn’t have a mark on her. She said she could barely feel it.”

“Incredible,” Dysley said, visibly impressed.

“So let me get this straight.” Noel began. “Because she’s as strong as an ox and can take a baseball bat to the ribs without flinching, she has free reign to destroy the place?”

“What the hell would you do, Noel?” Alyssa asked him. “Seriously? What in the bluest of blue hells would you fucking do? Ground her? Spank her?”

“I’d…” He wasn’t sure what to say. “I’d do something.”

“No,” Alyssa said, shaking her head. “You’d _do_ nothing because _can_ do nothing. You tried anything and she’d just spend the afternoon breaking your bones in alphabetical order. Let it go. It’s a goddamn vending machine. It’s not irreplaceable.”

“And it isn’t like she stole anything out of it,” Nora said. “I mean, the money and inventory were all accounted for.”

“That is so beside the fucking point.”

“Think about this,” Alyssa said, looking back at Dysley. “The reason she did it was because Miss Farron tried purchasing a snack and the candy got stuck. Fang took it upon herself to lift the machine and smash it for that reason alone.”

“Your point?” Dysley asked.

“Lightning and Fang have never gotten along. They’ve been bitter rivals ever since Fang arrived with her sister. They’ve stopped actually fighting outright, but they’ve never been friendly. Then, out of the blue, this happened. One has to wonder why. Why now?”

Dysley had to admit, that was fascinating. “Do you have any theories?”

“Nothing beyond the ordinary.” Alyssa offered.

Dysley flicked his eyes to Nora. The girl was quietly biting her lip. “Nora? You have something to add?”

She looked to Alyssa, then to Noel and back to Galenth. “Fang has feelings for Lightning, sir.”

Everyone in the room was shocked by that. “How do you know that?” Alyssa asked.

“She told me,” Nora said. “She’s got an ass that won’t quit, yeah? And I like the way she bites her lip when she’s concentrating. Something about her makes me wanna get to know her more. Just don’t know how to go about it. She makes me kinda nervous.” Her tone was a pitch perfect impression of Fang.

Dysley couldn’t help but snicker. “Well done.” He said, nodding. “I think we’ll let it go, Mr. Kreiss. You can get a new vending machine. I’ll see to it that it’s approved.”

“Very well, sir.” He said, leaning back in his chair.

“Dr. Zaidelle. Do you think Lightning and Fang would make an effective pairing?”

“What do you mean?” She asked him.

“Do you believe they could work well together? Complement each other?”

Alyssa sat back and thought about it. “Well, Lightning is showing incredible promise in her weapon accuracy. Fang seems very much hands on. Her hand to hand acumen is off the scale.” She pondered a moment. “Yes, I think they would. There’s still the matter of their friction, but I think we can work around that.”

“I want you to do what you can to push their romance. If they develop personal feelings for one another, then they would work better together, don’t you agree?”

“It makes sense,” Alyssa said. “I…would like your permission on something, sir.”

“That being?” Dysley asked her.

“It’s something that Nora here came up with. I’ve sent you the information.” Alyssa began. “Mental conditioning protocols.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve looked this over…” He said, lifting the thick packet. “Rather interesting.”

 

Fang leaned against the wall watching Vanille piece together the new computer system from the box of parts the facility heads had seen fit to provide for her. “I just don’t know what to say to her.”

Vanille shrugged as she worked. “Not like you to be nervous.”

“I know.” Fang returned. “I just…I don’t know what it is about her, Vanille. I just like her. I like her and I haven’t really said more than two sentences to her.”

Vanille giggled. “You did almost beat the snot out of her.”

Fang sighed heavily. “I know. I feel like I should apologize to her.”

“She was the one that picked that fight. Not you. You don’t have anything to apologize _for_.”

“Still,” Fang said, shaking her head. “How’s it comin’?”

“Good,” Vanille responded. “I’ve been thinking…”

“About what?”

“You,” Vanille said, turning to look at her sister. “I’m worried about you.”

“Why?”

“Your body is going to burn out if you get much stronger,” Vanille said to her. “I think I might have a solution, but I need access to the lab.”

“How do you…? You know what, forget it. I wouldn’t understand the answer anyway. Way too dumb for that.” Fang said, waving her hand. “Why not talk to Dr. Zaidelle? She’d probably let you have access. Or at least tell her about what you’re planning.”

Vanille shook her head. “No. I don’t want them knowing this.”

“Well, they already do, given that our rooms are monitored,” Fang said. “They listen to everything we say, remember?”

The redhead grinned. “Not my room they don’t.” She pointed to the small teddy bear that sat in the corner. “Come here, Teddy.” The plush bear rose to its feet and ambled over to her. It stood near her and looked up at her with its wide button eyes. “Whenever Teddy’s online, it shuts down the security feeds. Right now, the camera isn’t working.”

“How do you know?” Fang asked, looking up at the round globe in the ceiling.

“Because I do,” Vanille said, tapping the bear’s head. “Sit down, Teddy.” The bear flopped to its bottom. “Uh!” It let out.

“You’re wicked scary sometimes, you know that?” Fang said. “Should I be worried about what I can do?”

“I don’t think so. Because your metabolism and immune systems can keep up, but from what I’ve been able to overhear and glean from the notes I’ve seen, the aspect ratio is dropping. If things keep going the way they are, your adrenaline count will become too much for your body to handle. It does look like your physicality is beginning to level off, though. At least that’s what Dr. Zaidelle thinks. Your improvement isn’t as rapid as it has been. That’s a good sign.”

“So I might not get any stronger?” Fang asked, somewhat sadly.

“What’s your maximum right now?”

“Twenty-five hundred pounds give or take.” Fang offered. “Rolled a Hummer a few days ago. Near threw my back out, but I did it.”

“That’s impressive.” Vanille looked at her. “I don’t think you’ve plateaued yet, but you might be close.”

Fang groaned. “That sucks.”

Vanille lifted an eyebrow. “How strong did you wanna get?”

“Being able to _juggle_ Humvees sounds pretty nice,” Fang said, grinning.

“Go talk to Lightning. Invite her out for dinner.” Vanille said. “I’m sure they’d let you go to town for that.”

“Never hurts to try, I guess,” Fang said, pushing away from the wall. She looked down at the teddy bear on the floor. “What did you build him out of, anyway?”

“Parts from a busted Robosapien and a radio control airplane.” Vanille returned. “I had to hand-stitch the body and head. Got the batting from a pillow.”

“That’s just scary. Pretty soon you’re gonna have an army of robots to do your bidding, yeah?”

“What I wouldn’t give,” Vanille said, smiling. “Gotta build my A.I. first.” She tapped the computer tower. “Phase one of my plan for world domination is almost complete.”

“Do not build Skynet,” Fang said, sternly.

“Skynet was an idiot,” Vanille said. “I’m building Colossus.”

“You’re building a giant Russian with metal skin?” Fang asked.

“Go away now,” Vanille said. “Philistine.”

Fang shook her head and left the room. She was done being confused for one day.


	4. Chapter 4

Fang’s palms were sweating profusely. She wiped them on her trousers for what she was sure was the hundredth time. Earlier, she’d spoken with Professor Zaidelle and asked if, should Lightning agree, the pair of them being able to travel into Fort Kent to have dinner together.

The woman readily agreed. Now, Fang was approaching the pink haired girl’s door and was as nervous as could be. It had been nearly a week since the vending machine incident. She was actually quite surprised she didn’t get in more trouble than she did over that particular stunt. Doctor Zaidelle did tell her to be more careful, but that was as far as it went. Fang promised she’d try never to do something like that again.

The good doctor did inquire on what prompted Fang to do something so blatantly destructive. “I just didn’t like how sad Sunshine looked. I mean, I know it was just licorice, yeah? But still, she just…it bothered me. And I knew I could do something about it so I did. It made her happy. I could see it in her eyes. That made me feel better.”

Alyssa let it go at that with nothing save a knowing smile.

Fang reached Lightning’s door and stood there a moment. She could hear the faint sounds of music coming through. Which told her that the girl was listening to it at ear-shattering volumes, as the rooms were heavily sound-proofed. Even so, the notes of _I Hate Myself for Loving You_ by Joan Jett were unmistakable. Fang herself actually loved the song. She sighed, however. “I really hope that’s not an omen, yeah?” She reached up and with a trembling hand, tapped the call button on the panel on the wall.

The volume of the music immediately lowered. A few seconds later, the door slid open. Lightning stood, clad in a pair of tight black bike shorts and a sports bra. Her pink hair was matted to her head and her breathing was slightly labored. Her body was covered in a sheen of sweat. She looked up into Fang’s face with somewhat wide eyes. “What are you doing here?” She asked.

Fang wasn’t listening. She was simply staring at the slighter girl. Lightning’s body, on display as it was, reminded Fang of a good blade of steel. Having faced down the teen, she knew for a fact that she was just as solid as she looked. And at present, she was far, _far_ too busy resisting the urge to push the girl to the floor and lick every square inch of that pale skin.

“Fang?” Lightning asked, raising an eyebrow. When the girl didn’t respond, Lightning narrowed her eyes and shouted, “Fang!”

“What?” The taller brunette asked, whimsical. “Lightning, I uh, yeah?”

The serious pink haired teen frowned heavier. “What are you doing here, besides trying to piss me off?” She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed.

“I um, yeah, I didn’t mean to make you mad,” Fang said, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

Lightning snorted. “Since when?”

Fang accepted the barb. Over the course of their time in the program together, she seemed to take little joys in irritating the girl. Now, however… “I know I ain’t got no right to ask this and feel free to say no,” She let out a breath.

“Why are you so nervous?” Lightning asked. Normally Fang was as cocksure as it got. She was confident in literally _everything_ she did. To see her this rattled was frankly sort of disquieting. “Fang, are you okay?” She asked, showing genuine concern.

“Yeah,” Fang said. She then sighed. “Not really,” She chuckled, looking up and down the hallway. “Ain’t never done this before.”

“What’s the matter?” Lightning asked.

“I wanted to ask you if you’d, you know, be willing to maybe, I guess, sort of…”

Lightning couldn’t help but snigger. “Breathe, Fang.” She wasn’t quite sure what the girl’s problem was. Her discomfort was a little humorous, she had to admit. “Just ask what you wanted to ask.”

“Wouldyoubewillingothavedinnerwithme?” Fang blurted rapidly.

Lightning stared at her shocked. Of all of the things Fang was going to ask her, she most certainly did _not_ expect the tall brunette to ask her out. “You want me to have dinner with you?” She asked for clarification. Fang nodded. “As in a date? A _date_ date?”

“Yeah,” Fang said, quietly. “Like I said, I ain’t really got a right to ask. Especially since we ain’t exactly seen eye to eye on, well, anything,”

“I thought you hated me.” Lightning said, thoroughly confused.

“I never hated you, Sunshine,” Fang said, her tone serious. “I just thought you were…” She seemed to be searching for the right word.

“Stuck-up?” Lightning asked her. Fang bit her lip but didn’t respond. Lightning sighed and looked at the floor. “Maybe I am.” She admitted. She then flashed her eyes to Fang. “But you’re still arrogant as hell.”

“I know,” Fang said, sheepish. “I’m trying. You have to believe that. I really trying not to be.”

“I can see it. You’re not _as_ bad as you used to be. You’re still bad, just not _as_.” Lightning offered. She stared at Fang a moment. “You really were nervous as hell about asking me, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Fang said. “I really like you, Sunshine. You’re smart, you’re drop dead gorgeous and,” She swallowed and continued. “I like it when you smile. I’ve seen it a couple of times and think you should do it a lot more often.” She then shrugged. “I think maybe if I treat you good, I might get to see it a bit more, yeah?”

Lightning stared at the girl and couldn’t help but smile. “Fine.” She said, softly. “When?”

“Really?” Fang asked her. At Lightning’s nod, Fang lunged forward, snatching the pink haired teen from her feet and spinning her around in the hallway. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!”

Lightning burst out laughing at the response. It was absolutely adorable. “Okay, okay. Put me down, Fang.”

Fang did so immediately. “Sorry. I just, well, I truthfully thought you’d shoot me down.”

Lightning sighed and shook her head. “Not after I saw how nervous you were.”

“I talked to the Doc. She said we could go into Fort Kent tonight if we wanted. There’s a really good Chinese restaurant there. She said it’s nice and the portions are pretty big.”

Lightning gave her a nod. “Alright. Come by and pick me up at seven.”

Fang nodded eagerly. “Okay,” She said backing away from the door. “Great. Yeah. Looking forward to it.”

“Goodbye, Fang.” Lightning said, still grinning. She stepped back into her room, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against it and stood there a moment. She rested her head back against the wall and sighed heavily. As soon as Fang had come out and asked her, her stomach filled with butterflies. She closed her eyes and replayed the whole conversation in her head. “God, she’s beautiful.” She said to the silence of the room. It felt good to finally be able to admit it out loud.

Ever since she’d seen the girl years ago, she’d thought Fang was attractive. From her thick raven black hair to her long tanned legs. Everything about Fang had screamed confidence, even back then. Lightning had always been drawn to the fairer sex. The female form had always been enticing to her. She’d just been far too preoccupied with, well, everything to pursue any kind of a relationship. She wasn’t into casual sex and relied on herself when certain needs arose.

Then along came Fang. Just the way the girl moved, the way she spoke – which Lightning absolutely _loved_ – and the way she carried herself lit a fire in her that she had a hard time concentrating beyond. For the first few weeks, Fang permeated Lightning’s every thought. She couldn’t get Fang out of her head.

But, as with everything else in her life, she turned that desire into anger. And that anger, sadly, was directed at the one person that, if she were honest with herself, didn’t truly deserve it. It wasn’t Fang’s fault that Lightning found her eye-catching.

Now, she had a chance at something more than just a cold clinical relationship. She could see in Fang a chance at true happiness. Granted, she had to get past the initial courtship. Yes, Fang had asked her out, but there was still the matter of compatibility. Lightning’s mind immediately began sliding toward worst-case scenarios. _What if you find out she doesn’t like you in a social setting? What if you don’t like her? What if there’s no common ground? What if she snores? What if she wants a kiss? What if she’s a bad kisser? What if she’s a good kisser? What if she’s a_ great _kisser? What if…?_

She shook her head. “Jesus, I’m gonna work myself into a coronary.” Lightning said. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after four. She had a tad under three hours to get ready. She nodded and went to work. If Fang wanted a night out, she was going to give her a night to remember.

Fang, for her part veritably ran through the halls, happy as a clam. She was excited beyond belief. She vaulted into Vanille’s room, forgetting to knock. Her sister started at the intrusion. She quickly yanked the blanket over her, frowning at Fang. “Don’t you know how to knock?” The redhead snapped angrily.

Fang stopped at her sister’s sharp tone. She stared at Vanille’s flushed face and listened to her somewhat labored breathing. It was then she noticed that the girl had her blanket up around her chin. She then raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

“None of your business!” Vanille said, her voice cracking.

Fang looked around and saw the animatronic bear sitting next to the bed, staring at her. “Is he on?” She asked.

“Don’t worry about it,” Vanille said in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, ‘Nille. I didn’t realize,” Fang was trying hard not to smile.

“What do you want, Fang?” Vanille asked her. She began shuffling about under her blanket.

“She um,” Fang shook her head. “She said yes.”

Vanille nodded before throwing her blanket off and climbing from her bed. “That’s great. You were so nervous about asking her.” She washed her hands in the small sink on the side of the room. “Where are you two going?”

“I suggested China Garden in Fort Kent,” Fang said. “I am really sorry for interrupting you, Vanille.”

“Can we drop it, please?” The girl asked. She turned and leaned against the counter, crossing her arms and staring at her sister. “What are you gonna wear?”

“I,” Fang sighed and mimicked her sister, leaning against the wall beside the door. “I have no idea. I really didn’t think about anything beyond asking her.”

“So you had nothing planned if she said yes?” Vanille asked with a grin.

“Figured she’d say no. Hoped she wouldn’t, but that’s what I honestly expected. That and maybe a good smack to the face for my gall.”

“Well, she said yes, so you’d best start figuring out what you’re going to do,” Vanille said. “Do you even own any nice clothes?”

“Well, yeah,” Fang said. “I have that black cocktail dress that the Doc bought for me last year.”

“Does it still fit?” Vanille asked her. “You’ve grown at least two and a half inches since your sweet sixteen.”

Fang groaned and rubbed her face in her hands. “Christ, you’re right. And that thing came to mid-thigh even back then. It’s barely going to cover my ass.”

Vanille chuckled. “I don’t think Lightning will mind.”

“What made me think she was even _into_ girls?” Fang asked, suddenly.

“Because despite how much you want people to believe it, you’re not stupid,” Vanille said. “You’re actually pretty damn observant. Lightning’s eyes linger on you when you walk past her. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”

“Glad it isn’t just me,” Fang said. “I always thought that maybe I was reading a little too much into it.”

“Nope,” Vanille said, absently lifting her teddy bear up. “She’s into girls. I’ve um, I’ve been speaking with her sister, Serah.”

Fang furrowed her brow. “How? We don’t have open communication with-,” She stopped as she saw Vanille look her with a raised eyebrow. “I really should consider who I’m talking to.” The younger girl gave her a nod. “Does Lightning know you’ve been talking to her?”

Vanille shook her head. “No. We keep our conversations on the DL. I use the digital television system to piggyback a signal. I emailed Serah the schematics to build a receiver that lets her talk to me for two to three-minute intervals. Any more than that and the signal can be traced.”

“Christ on a crutch. Does the Doc know you can do all of this?” Fang asked her.

“Probably not. She’s just glad that I don’t get the headaches anymore.” She pulled open the back of the teddy bear and sighed. “I’ve got to reinstall your blocking software.” She said, off hand. She then looked to Fang. “Serah says Lightning talked about you a little last time they spoke. From what she said, Lightning said you were very pretty and incredibly infuriating, but that for reasons she couldn’t explain, you seemed like you could be the nicest person in the world to people you _genuinely_ like. If she could just get past how much of a bitch you were, the two of you might actually be friends.”

Fang couldn’t help but laugh at that. “She’s not wrong.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, I’m your sister,” Vanille said to her. “Do you know how to put on makeup?”

“Yes, Vanille. I know how to apply makeup.” Fang said, turning to the door. “For god’s sake. I am still a _girl_.”

“That is sexist and you should feel bad for saying it,” Vanille said. “I know plenty of boys that know how to put makeup on.”

“Yeah, but _they’re_ weird,” Fang said, leaving the room.

“True,” Vanille said, moving over to her laptop, connecting a small USB cable to the side. “Time to give teddy an upgrade.” She pulled aside a bit of fur and batting.

“Whee!” The bear offered in his deep mechanical voice.

 

Fang stood in front of the mirror on the back of her closet door, staring at the girl in the glass. The black dress – literally the _only_ dress she owned – was indeed very, _very_ short. As she had predicted, it barely covered her bottom. If she lifted her arms above her head for any reason, the world was going to get a rather good view of what, frankly, she didn’t want anyone but Lightning seeing. In truth, she could have donned a pair of nice slacks and good blouse, both of which she had plenty of, but she just…didn’t. She looked absolutely fantastic in the dress and thought Lightning would love to see her in it. When she’d worn it to the facility Christmas party last year, Lightning stared at her most of the night.

Granted, at the time, she thought Lightning was just being judgmental and thought she looked like a skank. But given what Vanille had shared about the girl, Fang wasn’t so sure. So yes, she was taking a chance, but something in her gut told her that it was a chance worth taking. “Here’s to hoping she wants a goodnight kiss,” Fang said, before kissing at her reflection. She made her way over, collected her purse, the keys to the facility’s Chrysler 300 C sedan and left her quarters. She knew the four-inch strappy heels that she was wearing might have been a bit excessive, but she didn’t care. She wanted to pull out all the stops for her date. Her legs and butt looked good in heels and she was going to do her best to make sure Lightning saw it.

She stopped in front of Lightning’s door and looked at her watch. It was currently three minutes to seven. Wiping her sweating palms on her dress, she again reached up and touched the panel on the jamb. A moment later Lightning answered the door and immediately took Fang’s breath away.

She was clad in a dress that seemed nearly as short as the number Fang herself was wearing. But where Fang’s was black, Lightning’s was a vibrant rose red. It hugged her curves leaving very little to the imagination. Her pale slim legs were a drastic contrast to the brightness of the dress. Her hair hung in a careless pink wash along the left side of her face and neck, held in place by a large silver pin. Her arms were bare and looked simply delicious to Fang. Lightning’s shoes were far more sensible than hers with a modest two and a half inch heel, but they looked fantastic on her. Lightning’s makeup was rather minimalistic, to be honest, but Fang felt it fit the girl perfectly. “Sunshine, you look… _wow_ ,” Fang said, shaking her head.

Lightning was raking her eyes up and down Fang as the tall brunette was inspecting her. “You don’t look too bad yourself.” She offered with a smile.

Fang held her arm out. “Shall we?”

Lightning closed and locked her chamber door and took Fang’s arm. “Please.” She still had a million doubts running through her head. But, as the night wore on, Lightning learned something about Fang. Something that she found that she not only could live with but something she yearned for. Fang, above all else, was _genuine_. With Fang, what you saw, was largely, what you got. She was honest.

Fang, in turn, learned that Lightning was who she was for Serah. She had to grow up a lot sooner than she should have. She gave up her childhood so Serah could have hers. She found that to be really endearing.

In the end, the pair could feel that they each had more common ground than they had thought. Both would do anything for their family and found much to respect in the other.

It was just after eleven at night when they reached Lightning’s door. “I had a really good time, Sunshine.”

Lightning leaned back against her door and stared at the brunette. “So did I.” She said, softly. She reached up and brushed an errant lock of black hair from the girl’s face. “You really are a remarkable woman, you know that?”

Fang smiled at her. “Does this mean you’re willing to do this again?”

Lightning gazed into those impossible green eyes. She pulled the girl down and kissed her on the lips. Just a quick peck and nothing more. “Definitely.” She kept her hold on the front of Fang’s dress. The pair continued to look at each other.

Fang took the initiative and leaned in, kissing Lightning again. The pink haired girl closed her eyes and slowly wrapped her arms around Fang’s waist. The brunette likewise encircled Lightning’s body with her own and pulled her in closer, pressing their forms against each other.

Butterflies threatened to core both girls like an apple as they embraced. Fang’s hands worked their way down and found Lightning’s pert bottom. She gave a bit of a squeeze, earning a surprised squeak from the pink haired girl. Without opening her eyes or breaking contact, Lightning reached and took gentle hold of Fang’s wrists and moved her hands up to the curve of her lower back.

That was enough to cause the taller girl to break the kiss. She rested her forehead against that of her date. “Sorry. Got a little carried away, there,” She said with a labored breath.

Lightning was likewise winded. “It’s okay.” She said, smiling at Fang, showing that she truly wasn’t upset. “But I’ve gotta give you _something_ to look forward to for a second date.”

“Can’t wait,” Fang said, grinning happily.

Lightning reached back, unlocked her door and opened it, stepping away from Fang. “Too bad.” She said, before closing the door lightly.

Fang was left staring at the spot Lightning vacated. A heartbeat later, the door opened. “Next week. Same time.” The pinkette returned before closing the door again.

Fang nodded at the door and turned, walking steadily toward her own quarters. All night long, the smile never left her face.


	5. Chapter 5

Fang’s mouth watered as she watched her date dance. The skin tight rose colored dress she wore made her look like she was shrink wrapped in silk. The fishnet stockings disappeared below the hem of the dress, which ended mid-thigh. The girl’s legs were one of her best attributes as far as Fang was concerned. The high heels that she wore made her look even better. But Lightning’s figure wasn’t the only thing Fang was noticing. Her girlfriend’s moves were hypnotic. It was the first time the pair had gone dancing together. Fang had excused herself to use the restroom while Lightning hit the floor. She’d come back to see the woman lost to the music. The dance floor of the small nightclub was awash with strobing blacklights, highlighting her companion in what almost seemed like a series of still frame photographs.

Lightning knew her girlfriend’s eyes were upon her. Normally stoic and stone-faced, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought. She loved the way she made Fang feel. She liked that the taller brunette not only liked her but _wanted_ her. She’d been careful not to give away too much. But she couldn’t deny that the way Fang looked at her made her blood boil. At the moment, she was the most desirable woman in the world. Yes, they were surrounded by girls that were taller, shapelier, bustier…but Fang didn’t care. She had eyes only for _her_. And to Lightning, there was no better feeling in the world. She looked her date in the eyes and lifted her hand, motioning Fang over with her finger. Lightning could dance, there was no question about that. Her body moved with grace and style.

The brunette slid up to her girl and wrapped her arms about Lightning’s waist. “You give me a lot of really dirty ideas dancing like that.”

Lightning gave her a mischievous smile. “The night’s still young.” She turned and ground her bottom against her date. “I haven’t even begun to show off.”

Fang growled low in her throat. She began moving her hips, likewise letting the heavy techno beat flow through her.

Lightning could feel Fang sway behind her. She felt the girl’s hips shake and was immediately warm and getting hotter. _Jesus_ , she thought to herself. _Boa Constrictors don’t move like this._ “Wh-,” She had to swallow past the sudden dryness in her throat. “Where did you learn to dance like this?”

Fang smirked as she pulled the girl back, pressing their bodies together. She leaned forward, lightly kissing the pink-haired girl’s neck. “Had to give you something to look forward to, yeah?”

Lightning closed her eyes, shuddering at the proximity of Fang’s lips to her skin. “Fang I…” She took in and let out a ragged breath. Fang’s fingers trailed up her exposed midriff as they danced. Her touch was electric. Lightning leaned her head back, allowing Fang access to her neck. The brunette wasted no time. Her lips and tongue found the slighter girl’s pulse point. Lightning had lost all pretense of dancing. She was no longer moving of her own accord. Fang’s powerful arms wrapped firmly around her waist was all that was keeping her up. She wasn’t sure how Fang had learned to do what it was she was doing, but at the moment, she didn’t care.

“God, Sunshine,” Fang said, taking a breath. “We keep this up and I’m not gonna be able to control myself.”

Lightning turned to look into the girl’s deep green eyes. “Maybe it’s time I stop asking you to.”

For several seconds, the pair stared at each other. Finally, Fang said, “Does that mean you want to…?” She couldn’t bring herself to finish the statement. She hadn’t even dared to hope Lighting was saying what _she_ thought the girl was saying.

“Come with me.” Lightning said, taking Fang’s hand. They moved out of the club and to the car. She leaned against the hood of the Chrysler and crossed her arms, looking Fang over. “How long have we been dating?”

“Two months and three days since our first date,” Fang said, without hesitation.

“And how many dates have we been on in that time?”

“Nine,” Fang said. “Unless you count that time we snuck off to have lunch together on the roof. Not sure if you consider that a date or not.”

“Sure. I’ll count that. So ten dates.” Lightning said to her. “And you’ve been the perfect gentleman every single time.” She sighed and lowered her eyes. “I’ve never done this before.”

“What do you want, Sunshine?” Fang asked her. “I thought you were having fun in there.”

“I was.” Lightning said to her. “I was having more fun than I’d ever had in my life.” She looked her date directly in the eyes. “I want to spend the night with you, Fang. I just…I don’t know what to do.” She motioned between the pair of them. “I’m not really sure how this works.”

Fang stepped up and again took Lightning in her arms. “Well, first we have a pretty serious decision to make.”

“What’s that?”

“Your place or mine?” Fang asked her.

“Mine. That way if you piss me off, I can kick you out.” Lightning said to her.

Fang belted out a laugh at the girl’s bluntness. “We really gotta work on your sweet talk, Sunshine.”

“What part of ‘new at this’ did you not get?”

Fang opened the door for her date. “Don’t worry, Sunshine. I get done with you, you’re never gonna want me to leave.”

“I better be wowed out of my socks if you’re gonna make statements like that.” Lightning said as she climbed into the car.

“Nah. I like you in fishnets,” Fang said as she fired the car up. “I’m gonna make you keep ‘em on.” She looked at Lightning with an avarice grin. “Heels too.”

Lightning just stared at the woman as they raced back to the compound. They returned home at just after nine-thirty at night. They didn’t finally fall asleep until five past midnight. Lightning passed out with her body pressed against Fang’s muscular side.

She still had her fishnet stockings and her strappy high heels on. She never once told Fang to go home.

 

Doctor Zaidelle leaned back in her chair, sipping her coffee and watching the monitor. She stared with a smile as the brunette and pink-haired girl took to each other. “Perfect.” She said, happily. “Absolutely perfect.”

 

Fang awoke and looked over to see Lightning’s face resting against her shoulder. The girl was still out cold. Fang began running her hands lightly over the girl’s warm body. She heard Lightning groan in her sleep. Finally, she opened her eyes to look directly into Fang’s. “Good morning, Sunshine.” She said, softly. “You sleep okay?”

Lightning blinked and rubbed her eyes, sitting up. “What time is it?”

“Just after nine,” Fang said to her. She raked her eyes up and down the girl’s naked back. “I swear on all that’s holy. If god made anything better, he kept it for himself.”

Lightning turned to look at her. She trailed over Fang’s muscular form and gave her a smile. She lay back down and again rested her head on her shoulder. “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Fang brushed her fingers over Lightning’s arms. “Thanks for letting me do this.”

“I’m thinking we should have done this quite some time ago.” Lightning said in return.

“You waited until you were ready,” Fang said to her.

Lightning slowly shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I wasn’t ready. I was nowhere near ready.” She looked up to see Fang frowning. “But _you_ were.”

“You didn’t have to do this to please me, Lightning. I would have waited for as long-,”

Lightning pressed a finger to her lips to silence her. “That’s just it, Fang. I might _never_ have been ready to take this step. This was something that _I_ had to decide on. This was a choice I _had_ to make. You’ve been…” She shook her head. “You’ve been amazing. You’ve been everything I truly think a girlfriend _should_ be. You’ve been kind, you’ve been caring, you’ve been attentive. I mean for god’s sake, you’ve even cooked me dinner and gave me foot massages. I know how terrible my feet smell after a day of exercise and training. Yet, here you are, pampering me. And the best I’ve ever done for you is a kiss here and there. Until last night, you’ve never even seen me naked.”

“Took my breath away,” Fang said. “You’re perfect, Sunshine.”

“And you remind me of that every single day we’ve been together.” Lightning said to her. “You deserved to know how much you’ve come to mean to me.”

Fang again furrowed her brow. “And you thought the only way you could do that was to give it up to me?”

“Like I said, I’m kind of new at this.” Lightning said. She saw Fang drop her head to the pillow.

The brunette wasn’t quite sure how to feel. As far as she could understand it, Lightning had sex with her because she felt obligated. Not because she genuinely cared.

For reasons that she couldn’t explain, as Lightning stared at Fang, the world around her seemed to slow to a crawl. She took in every contour of Fang’s face. She noticed the subtle tightening of her jaw, the trembling of her eyes, the hint of tears forming and the flexing of her forehead. The larger woman’s chest was starting to rise and fall quicker and the muscles in her arm were beginning to tense. She knew immediately that Fang was upset by what she’d said. She knew that she needed to diffuse the girl’s anger immediately. “Stop that.” Lightning snapped. She took hold of Fang’s chin and turned the girl’s face to her. “Stop it right now.”

“Stop what?”

“I know what you’re thinking. And you’re wrong.” Lightning reached down and quickly removed her shoes. She then straddled Fang and stared down into her eyes. “You’re dead wrong.”

Fang cocked her head. “How do you-?”

“I know. That’s all that matters.” Lightning honestly didn’t know how she had managed to see what she had, but at the moment, she didn’t care. “I didn’t sleep with you because I felt I _had_ to, Fang. I did it because I _wanted_ to.” She leaned down and kissed her girlfriend. “With _you_.” She kissed her again. “ _Only_ you.”

Fang rested her hands on Lightning’s hips. “I’m sorry, Sunshine.” She gave the girl a smile. “I just thought-,”

“Don’t.” Lightning said to her. “If we’re gonna be a team, we each need to know where we stand.” She pointed to herself. “I’m the brains, you’re the muscle.”

“Pretty sure your sister got the brains.” Fang teased.

Lightning frowned a second, then sighed. “Okay, fair point.”

“Don’t feel too bad. Of the both of us, Vanille got the crazies.” Fang said to her.

“The things that girl can do scares me.” Lightning said to her.

“Can I tell you something?” Fang asked her. “It’s pretty serious. Might scare you.” Lightning frowned and nodded. Fang roughly pulled her down and kissed her with a fierce and fiery passion. “I love you, Lightning Farron.”

Lightning stared into her eyes. It was said that the eyes were the windows to the soul. She quickly determined that, at least in Fang’s case, it was the truth. “You really do, don’t you?”

“As long as I live,” Fang said, softly. “Someday I hope you can say that to me.”

Lightning gave her a soft smile. “How I about I tell that I love you now and save us some time?” She lay down and rested her head between Fang’s pert breasts. “I love you too, Fang.”

           

Fang and Lightning strode together through the halls toward the administration office. “I just hope they’re willing,” Fang said. Lightning could hear the nervous energy in the girl’s voice.

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t.” Lightning returned. “It’s not like we’re asking to move out of the compound.”

Fang conceded that. Thus far, Doctor Zaidelle had been very accommodating and understanding. Fang really liked the woman. She’d worked wonders with Vanille from the beginning. And through her efforts, Fang now had control of her rapidly increasing strength.

Fang did not, however, fully trust the woman. Over the course of the past few months, Fang had been, for lack of better term, _getting better_ at specific tasks she was randomly being given. She knew how to do things she was fairly certain she’d never done before. She knew for a fact that she’d never been trained to pilot any kind of aircraft, yet she was able to climb into the compound’s training simulator and take control of a plethora of different helicopters, from a Robinson R22 to the Russian-built Mil Mi-26 and everything in between. It was the same with turboprop and jet aircraft. From Cessna’s to C-5 Galaxies. If it had wings or a prop, she could fly it. And she, for the life of her, couldn’t figure out why. When she asked Doctor Zaidelle, she received nothing but “Well isn’t that interesting?”

It was one of the many reasons she didn’t trust the woman and probably never would. She didn’t mind being able to do these things. Being able to climb behind the wheel of anything and know exactly what she’s doing was nice, but it still freaked her out. She knew there was a reason, she just didn’t know what that reason was. But she was fairly certain that she wasn’t going to like it.

Lightning for her part, was in the same boat, but she wasn’t anywhere near as bothered by it. Like Fang, she was finding herself possessing of skills that she’d never been taught, but just _knew_. Her encyclopedic knowledge of firearms and marksmanship was second to none. She was able to show an expert’s discipline with weapons she’d never even seen before, let alone employed. Yet during every test, every trial, she could dead-bull with every single gun she held. It was the same with thrown blades and crossbows. There was no ranged implement known that she couldn’t use with deadly accuracy.

After her initial testing, she’d stopped asking how she was able to do such things. She never received any answers anyway.

The pair abandoned these thoughts as they reached Doctor Zaidelle’s office. Fang reached up and tapped the call button. A moment later the blonde Doctor stood in the door, clad in a black skirt suit and smock. “Fang. Lightning. Can I help you?”

“Mind if we come in?” Lightning asked. “We have something we’d like to discuss with you.”

She stepped aside, allowing them in. “How did your date go last night?”

Fang and Lightning both knew that the rooms they stayed in were monitored. It no longer bothered them. Vanille had long since found ways around it. The staff of the compound believed they knew the limitations of the petite redhead’s intellect and creativity and were able to keep ahead of it.

They couldn’t be further from the truth. Vanille’s gray matter had long since outstripped their ability to keep up. The younger Australian native showed the eggheads only what they needed to see. She, for the most part, had the entire complex wrapped around her little finger.

Thanks to her genius, Lightning, and Fang both had devices that could be employed to tracelessly circumvent the surveillance systems.

So it was safe to say that both girls knew full well that the good Doctor knew _just_ how well their date went.

“It went very well.” Lightning said. “So well, in fact, that Fang and I have a request.”

“Oh?” The woman asked, taking a seat at her desk. “And what would that be?”

“We’d like to move in together,” Fang said, crossing her arms over her chest. “We wanna share quarters.”

Secretly, Alyssa was thrilled by the request. CEO Dysley had taken her suggestion and authorized her to foster the relationship between the girls. She’d expected them to get close, but she’d never expected this.

“Are the pair of you sure you can stand living together?” She asked, feigning concern. “Lightning? You’re rather fastidious and tidy.” She looked to Fang. “You’re, well…not.”

“I’m not that bad,” Fang said to her.

“I’ve seen Fang’s quarters. I think it’s something we can work on.” Lightning said. “We find that we concentrate better when we’re together.”

Alyssa leaned back and crossed her arms. “How will it work? Who will be moving in with who?”

“We talked about that. Lightning’s already got her apartment set up how she likes it. It’d be easier to move my stuff into her place. Besides, she’s already comfortable there. No need to make her tear it all down.”

Lightning looked at Fang with a surprised expression. The pair hadn’t spoken at all about it. She was sort of dreading the conversation, to be honest. She felt that Fang would want her to move in and not the other way around. She never expected the girl to be willing to give up her room for the sake of Lightning. It was actually quite heartening.

Zaidelle saw the exchange and smiled. “I suppose it would be alright. But you’ll have to be quick about it. You both have an extensive live-fire exercise tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Fang said, happily. She turned and hugged Lightning firmly. “We’re moving in together, Sunshine.”

Lightning giggled at Fang’s happiness. “Looks like.” She said, patting the girl’s arms. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Alyssa watched the pair leave, smiling at them. As soon as the door was closed, the turned and lifted her phone. She dialed Galenth Dysley’s office directly. He wasn’t going to believe this.

Vanille sat on her bed with her headset on. She recorded the entire conversation, smiling. “Teddy? Wake up.”

The plush bear let out a mechanical groan and sat up on the little pillow he lay on in the corner. “Awake.” He offered in a deep voice.

“Come over here, please.” She said, pointing beside her bed.

“Coming.” He got up and ambled over to stand beside her. “I’m here.”

She pat his head and smiled at him. “Cute and cuddly.” She said to him. The bear’s eyes flickered from bright blue to red. She smiled and nodded. She lifted the remote for her TV and flipped to a channel that was nothing save digital static. She then tapped away on her laptop.

Suddenly, the image of a pretty girl with pale pink hair and fair skin appeared. “Hey, Vanille.” She said happily.

“Hey, Serah,” Vanille said. She tapped a few keys. “I’m sending an audio file to you. It makes for some interesting listening.”

“What is it?” Serah asked her.

“Just what we both suspected.” Vanille returned. “Any luck with the decryption, yet?”

“Slow going,” Serah said, sadly. “They’ve got their project buried deep. On the surface, it’s just what it says on the tin. Bodyguard services. But the things they’re teaching people are a lot more than just protecting rich socialites. To be a bodyguard, you don’t need to know how to pilot an Apache attack chopper and an Abrams tank.”

“Keep digging. I’ll keep trying to get you the intel when I can.” Vanille said. She looked at saw her bear’s eyes flicker. “I’ve gotta go. They’re getting better and working around teddy.”

“Good luck,” Serah said, before terminating the connection.

Vanille closed her laptop as the chime on her door beeped. “Go lay down, Teddy. And thank you.”

“Welcome.” He grunted before turning and trundling over to flop onto the pillow.

Vanille opened the door to see Director Kreiss standing with his hands behind his back. He was smiling widely at her. It was _not_ a pleasant expression. “Vanille.” He said, nodding. “We need to have a chat, you and I.” He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. A pair of large orderlies entered the room. Each of them carried a set of restraints.

Vanille swallowed as she backed away from the door, fear in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Alyssa Zaidelle roughly dragged her fingers through her hair as she stared intently at the petite redheaded girl. She lay upon the bed, weeping. Her thin body shuddered violently. The bandage about her head was slowly darkening with blood. “Son of a bitch,” The woman said, shaking her head. “Vanille, I…” She bit her lip as she sat upon the bed. “I didn’t authorize this.” She reached out and rested her hand upon the girl’s slender arm.

Vanille tensed and flinched at the contact. “Sh-she’ll kill you.” She said, her voice whisper soft. She turned to regard the woman. Her right eye remained covered with the bandage. Her emerald left eye bore into the blonde scientist. “Fang is going to tear you all apart.” She sniffed and looked away. “Get out.” She said after a few seconds.

“I just want you to know-,” The elder woman began.

Vanille’s harsh reply cut her off. “Get out!” Her voice was a barely recognizable growl.

Alyssa sighed and rose to her feet. “I had nothing to do with this. All I’ve ever wanted for you and Fang is for you to be comfortable. I want you to be better.” She shook her head. “This isn’t how I wanted it to happen.” She moved toward the door, her head low.

“Dr. Zaidelle?” Vanille offered, her voice calm and serene. The woman turned to see the girl once again staring at her. “You’re right. You’ve always treated us with kindness and understanding.” She gave her a warm smile. “You’ve made Fang and I so much more than we were when we arrived. For that, you have our gratitude. And because of that? Because you’ve been so nice to us…” Her smile turned sinister. “She’ll save you for last.”

Dr. Zaidelle felt her throat tighten at the girl’s expression. As she gazed into the remorseless green eye she, not for the first time, cursed Director Kreiss from the bottom of her heart. Most people in her position wouldn’t take the girl’s threat seriously. The rest of the staff would have taken the tiny redhead’s proclamation of retribution with a grain of salt. The emotional response from an angered teenager and nothing more.

But Alyssa Zaidelle wasn’t most people. She’d been a part of Vanille and Fang’s gene therapy and experimentation from day one. More than anyone else, she knew _precisely_ what they were capable of. She continued to look at Vanille for a second longer before quickly exiting the room. She immediately reached over and entered her personal code into the panel beside the door, securing it tightly.

She hoped beyond hope that it would keep the terrifying young girl inside. She knew deep down, however, that it was a fruitless expectation. It was her research and implementation that had given Vanille the gifts she now possessed. Computers, programming, any technology that existed were playthings to the girl. Her mind worked at a rate that no human on the planet could comprehend. Where the most brilliant hackers in the world would take hours to cut through hard, complex encryption, Vanille had shown that she could do so in minutes.

And Alyssa knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Vanille was only showing them what she wanted them to see. She was sure what she’d witnessed the young genius do was the tip of the genetic iceberg. She moved away from the room and made her way to her office. Vanille had indeed spoken the truth. Fang was _insanely_ protective of her little sister. When the elder girl found out about what had been done to Vanille she’d more likely as not go berserk. No one and nothing would be spared.

And she knew that, at current, the facility was simply not equipped to stop her. Fang’s physical strength and endurance were beyond their wildest expectations. If she lost control, the entire compound would be little save a tomb. She entered her private lab to see Nora sitting and looking down at a few samples. “You need to leave, Nora.” She said, her tone filled with concern.

The woman turned to regard her. “What?”

Alyssa moved to her office. She reached into her desk and pulled a black cloth case out. She opened it, revealing several thumb drives. She quickly snatched the device connected to her computer and stuffed it into the case and closed it. She moved back out into the laboratory as Nora approached her. “Here, take this.” She said, shoving the case into Nora’s hands.

“What-?” She looked down at it.

“This is all my research. Everything about the L’Cie Project. Study it. Memorize it, then destroy these. They can’t fall into anyone’s hands.”

“What’s going on?” Nora asked. “You’re freaking me out.”

Alyssa swallowed. “Director Kreiss, he…” The woman shook her head, rubbing her face roughly in her hands. “He fucked up. He took Vanille and operated on her.”

“Why?” Nora asked. “Her tests were all positive. She had full control and her numbers were in the butter zone. Why would he-?”

“She’s been hacking our satellite television system. We don’t know who she was contacting, but we know she’s been talking to someone.” Nora nodded. She and Alyssa both knew as much. They’d let it slide because it was in line with what the girl was being groomed to do. “Noel found out. He dragged her from her room and sliced into her brain and cut her right eye out for no better reason than sheer petulance.”

“When Fang finds out-,” Nora began fearfully.

“We’re all dead.” Alyssa finished. “That’s why you need to get out. Tonight. Now.”

“What about you?” Nora asked her.

“You have a family, Nora. You have a son and a husband. You have to get away from this place for them. I’m going to do my best to calm Fang down. I’m the closest thing on the staff she has to a friend. Maybe I can-,”

Nora shook her head. “She isn’t going to care, Alyssa. You know that. She’ll tear you apart without a second thought. If she thinks for a second that you had a part-,”

Alyssa rested her hands on Nora’s shoulders. “I have to try. Now go. Before it’s too late.”

Nora looked down at the case in her hands and back up to the woman she’d been working with for years. “Be careful. Don’t take chances if you don’t have to.”

Dr. Zaidelle hugged her. “Goodbye, Nora.” She said, softly. “You were one of my greatest successes.”

Nora stifled a sob. She knew she’d never see the woman again. “I’ll miss you, Alyssa. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.” She turned and left the office, not sparing a look back.

Alyssa sighed and left her lab, heading to Director Kreiss’ office, making a stop by her desk to retrieve something necessary.

Noel Kreiss sat behind his desk, going over the large pile of paperwork when the chime notifying him someone was at his door sounded out. “It’s open.” He said, not looking up.

“Noel,” Alyssa said as she entered the room. “We need to talk.”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, staring at her. “About?”

“The unauthorized surgery on my patient.” The woman said, her voice dripping with anger.

“I wasn’t aware I had to clear anything with you. Given that I’m in charge of this facility.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’d do well to remember that.”

“Vanille is _my_ subject, Noel. I’m to be informed of _anything_ that happens to her. President Dysley put _me_ in charge of the actives. _You’d_ do well to remember _that_.”

He rose to his feet and moved around to sit on the edge of his desk. “Then why don’t we contact the old man, huh? Let him know that your little pet project was hacking the facility’s communications and computer mainframes. We’ll also let him in on the fact that you were aware of it and just _letting_ it happen.” He cocked his head. “What do you think he’ll say then?”

She stared at him. “You know damn well what he’ll say. He’ll shit can you and keep me right where I am. I’m irreplaceable. There isn’t anyone else on the planet that can do what I do and he knows that. But you?” She shook her head. “There’s nothing special about you, Noel. You’re just another jarhead that happened to have the right credentials.”

“Really?” He asked her. “Okay.”

“Well?” She reached over and lifted his phone, offering it to him. “Call him. See what he says.”

He took the receiver from her and put it back down. “Go back to your lab, Alyssa. Go back to work.”

“You really have no idea what you’ve done, do you?” She asked him. “When Fang finds out what you did to her sister, she’ll-,”

“She’s your problem, Doctor. Not mine.” Noel said, shaking his head. “Keep her in line or I’ll have her put down like a dog.”

“You really are an idiot, Noel. You don’t read any of the reports I send you, do you?”

“I’ve got better things to do with my time to keep up on your freaks, Alyssa.”

“Jesus Christ.” She said, throwing her hands into the air. She turned to stare at him. “Let me put it as clearly as I can for you. Fang is going to go on a rampage.” She stepped closer to him. “She’s going to kill everything that moves in this entire damn compound.” She lifted a hand to stop him as he began to speak. “And we have _nothing_ that can stop her. The only thing we have as far as armament goes is M-4 Carbine Assault rifles that fire 5.56-millimeter rounds.” She shook her head. “And at her current level, they would barely penetrate her skin. After the first round, her fight or flight response would engage. Her body would harden to the consistency of asphalt. She’d be bulletproof, Director Kreiss. She’d be _unstoppable_.”

He furrowed his brow. “Bullshit. That’s pure fantasy.”

“It’s what we designed her for, you fucking idiot! She’s a hand to hand combat L’Cie. We enhanced her so she would be virtually indestructible in the field. Capable of withstanding most small arms fire. And thus far, she’s _exceeded_ our expectations. She’s-,” She stopped when her radio chimed. She lifted it and keyed it up while continuing to stare at Noel. “Go ahead.”

“Yeah, Doc. It’s Fang. Vanille isn’t answering her door and I can’t get in.”

“Shit!” Alyssa said, suddenly terrified. “This is not good.”

Noel snatched the radio from her. “Fang, this is Director Kreiss. Go back to your quarters. You’ll be allowed to see Vanille later.”

Fang stared at the intercom a moment. “Why isn’t she answering her door? Is something wrong?”

“Go back to your quarters, Fang. That’s an order.”

Alyssa shook her head. “That isn’t going to work. If she doesn’t see Vanille she’ll-,”

“I wanna see her,” Fang said, her voice suddenly carrying an edge. “Either you or Doctor Zaidelle better come down here and let me in.”

“I believe I was clear, Fang. Go back to your-,”

She cut him off. “You got one minute.” She turned the intercom off.

“Go deal with it. Whatever you do, keep her out of that room.” Noel said, staring her down.

Alyssa sighed and shook her head. Slowly she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and lifted a handgun, pointing at him. “You did this. You’re the one that cut her sister’s head open just because you could. She’s gonna be howling for blood when she gets into Vanille’s room. I’m gonna give your head on a platter.”

Noel stared her down. “You really gonna shoot me, Alyssa?” He asked her. “I don’t think you have the balls. Besides…” He grinned and crossed his arms. “You can’t shoot anyone with the safety on.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You expect me to fall for that stupid ass trick?” She asked him. She depressed the trigger and found the gun wouldn’t fire. Her eyes went wide. A heartbeat later the pistol was smacked from her hand. She felt the bones in her fingers and her fist break. She cried out and staggered back, clutching her hand to her chest.

He stepped forward, angrily. “Stupid bitch!” He lashed out with a harsh backhand that sent her sailing across the room to slam into a shelf. The wood buckled and books rained down on her. He reached down and gripped her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. He held her up, letting her feet dangle a foot from the floor. “You think you’re the only one with a successful L’Cie under their belt, Doctor?” Her eyes dilated. “That’s right, bitch. You’re looking at the _first_ success story.” His grip tightened, resulting in a sick _crunch_ from the woman’s neck.

 

Fang paced back and forth in front of Vanille’s room. She pulled her cell out and dialed her girlfriend’s number. Lightning would more than likely be working out. As soon as she heard the phone pick up, she blurted out. “I need you at Vanille’s room, _now_ , Sunshine.” She then ended the call and turned back to the door. She clenched her fists so tight her knuckles cracked. She blew out a breath. She felt her heartbeat start thundering in her chest. Her body began to hum. She took two steps and kicked the center of the metal with all of her strength. The door buckled and slammed to the floor, sliding across the room.

Lightning slid to a stop beside her girlfriend, worry plainly written on her face. “What the hell are you doing?” She asked, taking hold of Fang’s arm. “You kick the door in.”

“Something’s wrong with Vanille,” Fang said, taking a step in. She quickly whipped her eyes to the bed. Vanille sat with her back against the wall. The brunette saw the thick bloody bandages around the girl’s head. Her right eye was covered, but her left stared at her sister with a look of pure terror. “Vanille…” Fang said slowly moving closer.

“Fang,” She said, her voice filled with relief. The redhead rose from the bed and took but a single step before her legs gave out and she began falling to the floor.

Lightning was beside her, her slender arms holding Vanille aloft before Fang had moved a pace. “I’ve got you.” She said, easing the girl back to the bed. “What happened?”

Vanille shook her head. “I don’t know what they did. I didn’t see.” She closed her eye and sniffed. “I can’t see out of my right eye.” She was sobbing. “I don’t know why.”

Fang knelt in front of the girl and gingerly lifted the bandage. “I know it hurts, but I’ve got to take a look, yeah?” Vanille gave a subtle nod. A few seconds later, Fang’s face became a mask of rage. “Sunshine, look at this.” She said, lifting the bandage a little more.

Lightning looked and her throat filled with bile. “Oh my god.” She looked at Vanille’s good eye. “They cut it out.”

Vanille’s lip began quivering. “They…cut it…out?” She reached up with quivering fingers, but Fang’s hand stayed her. “I can’t…why would they…?”

“I don’t know,” Fang said, rising to her feet. “But I’m gonna crack some heads until I find out, yeah?” She turned to the door, enraged.

“Fang, wait!” Vanille snapped. “It was Director Kreiss. Doctor Zaidelle had nothing to do with it.”

Fang whirled on her sister. “But she sure as hell didn’t stop it, now did she? Far as I’m concerned that makes her just as guilty. That means her head gets broke right along with the rest.”

Lightning watched the exchange. She wasn’t sure what the hell to think. “We need to think about this, Fang.” She said, rising to her feet.

“What’s to think about, Sunshine?” She asked. “These sons a bitches just tore my sister’s fucking eye out. I’m not gonna let that stand. Someone – _everyone –_ is gonna die for this.”

“We need to calm down and _think_ ,” Lightning said, stepping up to her girlfriend. She took the taller woman’s hands in hers.

“Don’t try talking me out of-,” Fang began but was interrupted as Lightning leaned in and kissed her. “What was that-?”

“I’m not trying to talk you out of anything. We need to come up with a plan. There are precisely forty-six personnel on staff currently. Twenty of those are ex-military police. They’re trained to deal with us.” She turned to Vanille. “Are you still fit to cut through the encryption?”

“I’ve got a bit of a headache, but I can still access the system. What did you need me to do?”

“We need you to override the system and lock anyone and everyone else out. Can you bring the breach protocols online?” Lightning asked her.

Vanille nodded. “I need my laptop, there,” She said, pointing to the table.

Fang stepped over and grabbed it, handing it to her. “We’re gonna get you fixed up, I promise.”

Vanille gave her sister and smile. “I believe you. When we get out of here, I can see about getting an implant.” She opened her computer and quickly went to work. “I’m going to start with the containment systems. I’m currently changing all of the access codes and passwords so no one but me can get in.” She tapped a few keys. “Now I’m sealing off corridors that’ll give you both a straight run to the armory.” She looked at Lightning. “That’s where they’re keeping your tools of choice.” The pink haired girl nodded. “Make sure you both pick up a pair of receivers. I’ll be able to direct you where your targets are.” She then smiled. “And I’ve just secured Director Kreiss in his office.” She then frowned. “Shit.”

“What shit?” Fang asked. “I don’t like shit.”

“I’ve just gotten access to Director Kreiss’s jacket.” She turned and showed the girls. Fang stepped up to the screen.

Lightning, however, could see from where she was standing. She furled her brow as Fang turned to regard her. “He’s a L’Cie.” She said, sternly.

“Yeah,” Fang said. “Shit’s about right.”


End file.
